Population growth and voracious consumption are fueling our disastrous drive to drill and burn oil. Certainly they're playing a big part in the push to build the notorious Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline.

If this project goes ahead, it's certainly going to exacerbate environmental problems already being compounded by irresponsible, runaway population growth: climate change, loss of precious habitat for rare and endangered species, and pollution of our air, water and land.

So last week the Center for Biological Diversity launched a new campaign asking people to pledge to stand up against Keystone. More than 20,000 people have already signed up, and I hope you’ll consider joining us in taking strong action to stop Keystone. This is more than just signing petitions and submitting comments online -- this is taking our protest to the streets, organizing demonstrations, and, if necessary, engaging in peaceful civil disobedience.

Keystone XL would be an environmental disaster if it goes forward. Please stand with us by taking the pledge today.

15,000 Endangered Species Condoms for Earth Day

Monday was the 43rd Earth Day. To celebrate, our intrepid population activists gave away more than 15,000 free Endangered Species Condoms at events around the country. All told, our population prophylactics were part of 20 Earth Day events in 13 states -- from New York and Florida to Alaska and Hawaii. The condoms were featured at music festivals, ecology fairs, zoos, restoration projects and film screenings.

Each colorful condom package, featuring species threatened by human population growth, is a surefire way to get a conversation started about how our burgeoning numbers are putting wildlife, pristine places and our own quality of life at risk across the globe and right here at home.

One special event took place at Purdue University, where eight activists and two biology professors distributed 2,000 Endangered Species Condoms focusing on the hellbender -- North America's largest amphibian and a species that's drawn the attention of Purdue researchers. The event sparked the interest of the Indianapolis Star before Earth Day; check out the event preview and then watch this video from the event.

Oh, Those Wacky State Legislatures

Ever heard the phrase "Legislatures are the places where good ideas go to die"? Well, in the absence of good ideas, something else invariably springs up.

Take Kansas, for example. State lawmakers there are considering a bill to, uh, ban sustainable development. More specifically, the moronic measure would prohibit state funds from being "used, either directly or indirectly, to promote, support, mandate, require, order, incentivize, advocate, plan for, participate in or implement sustainable development."

As our friends at Grist pointed out: "Don't they know that when sustainable development is outlawed, only outlaws develop sustainably?"

Kansas, of course, isn't alone in its knuckleheadedness: Some Florida lawmakers are feelin' the urge to frack the Big Cypress National Preserve and drill for oil in Blackwater State Park. Other trusted representatives of the people, in Wisconsin, have put forward a bill to reclassify the mining pollutant (and cancer-causer) selenium as a nonpollutant, Utah thinks it'd be nice to assert state control over federal lands.

Looks as though -- when it comes to pushing smarter development, protecting wild places and wildlife, and staying rational -- we've got our work cut out for us.

Hasta la victoria,

Jerry Karnas
Population Campaign Director

Center for Biological Diversity | P.O. Box 710, Tucson, AZ 85702-0710

This is an unmonitored email address, please do not reply. To sign up for condoms, click here. If you'd like more information on the Center's overpopulation campaign, visit our website. To make a donation, click here. Specific population-related questions can be directed to population@biologicaldiversity.org. Please allow a few days for a response. To stop receiving Pop X, click here.